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"Fantastic," he muttered, as they climbed back into the truck

Neither of them said much on the way to Marco’s For his part, Colin was not looking forward to seeing the place with Marco gone Not that they’d been close, not like his friends fro like his buddies from the SEAL tea them, but the simple beauty of the animal Marco had been so pleased to find someone he could talk to, so and training the way Colin did Colin may not have taken up his father’s business, but he’d been raised on the family’s ranch, had worked in the barns almost from the day he took his first step until he’d walked away and joined the Navy He’d gone into the service partly because it was the last thing anyone expected of a boy froh school But he’d also done it to escape his father’s deterest son’s life

It had been a surprise for Colin to discover he could still enjoy talking about the family business and he would miss those conversations with Marco

"You said a security tea the silence They visit Marco’s place too?

She nodded "Night before last, same as Jeremy’s and Preston’s"

"So, why--"

"I need to see forat"

Colin nodded Made sense to hih, to be honest, he still didn’t knohat to hton She seeator hired by the vamps to look into these crimes She didn’t swarm all over his crime scene like soun around like an auns He’d noted the backup piece in the small of her back before they’d left town

And his confusion wasn’t just because she was a woman, either He’d served with plenty of feood, some not, just like thefashionthat even his untutored eye kneorthup and claiator for va like that anyway?

He drove around the final curve to Marco’s house, tree branches ski the roof of his truck Marco had valued his privacy He’d never bothered to make his house anymore approachable than absolutely necessary

Colin stopped the truck and switched off the key, staring through the windshield The place looked abandoned already The paddock was empty, the doors open on the small barn’s vacant stalls Even the house looked diminished somehow

"You’re sure the horses are safe"

"Absolutely," she assured him

He drew a deep breath and shoved open the truck door "All right, let’s do this"

A few minutes later, they were in the basement of Marco’s house--a basehton had led him to it All the times he’d been in Marco’s place and he’d never noticed the door concealed by the den’s paneling But then, ould he?

Leighton had cruised the walls, running her hands along the joints, as if she knehat to look for And clearly she did, because she’d given a satisfied grunt and popped the door right open to reveal a rough stairway under the house A chain pull had turned on the overhead light, but Leighton had aug she’d thrown in the back of his Tahoe It was bright as daylight in the base at even ht, Murphy?" Leighton asked thoughtfully

"Retired, but yeah"

She glanced back at him "That makes you the expert as far as I’m concerned What do you think happened here?"

Someone had blown a hell of a hole in Marco’s basement wall, that’s what had happened Or not precisely in the wall The target had been the reinforced door which now lay halfway on its side, warped and hanging fro a small insulated rooht place, and it wasn’t anything like they showed in movies There was no coffin filled with dirt, no wax-draped wall sconces with cobwebbed candles It was a modern, pleasant and sihtstand with a reading lamp Or it had been before so Marco

"Murphy?" she jogged hih, and it had interior hinges, but it was old, and these walls" He slapped one of the cru up There was probably just enough of a seam to shove some plastic explosive--I can’t say what kind without cheap Set the fuse and scurry back upstairs until it goes booes andthat’s it" He sucked a breath through his nose and surveyed the da Marco was pretty ht?"